Study on the electrification of low-income households in large urban areas of Zambia. Phase 1. Present status

摘要

The objective of this study was to assess present practices of electrifying households and propose measures that would help accelerate the electrification of low-income households in urban areas. The Zambian government is keen on increasing electricity accessibility to households in general and to low-income households in particular. This aspiration has a three-fold aim: that of reducing charcoal consumption in order to avoid eventual environmental damage caused by deforestation, utilizing the available excess capacity of installed hydro power, and improving the living conditions of the citizenry (e.g. cleaner kitchen environment, reduced fuel expenditure, etc.). Zambia has an excess of installed hydro-electric power of about 400 MW. The declining export demand and the continued reduction in local industrial demand for electricity, particularly in the mining industry, has further contributed to this situation. Consequently new markets are being sought and with a larger proportion of households in urban areas still unelectrified, there is potential for expanding electricity use in this sector. The study shows that unless significant cost reductions in both home wiring and connection costs can be achieved, it is unpractical to recover the costs of providing electricity service through tariffs, since monthly households bills would be too large. A roof-to-roof system of home connections is recommended in order to reduce the cost of connections. In addition, home wiring should be done using cheaper methods such as avoiding conduits and fixing the cables on the wall surface. (7 refs., 4 figs., 14 tabs.)